Passage 1
1. In the evenings usually many friends came to visit father and he would relax after the tension of the day and the house would resound with his tremendous laughter. His laugh became famous in Allahabad. Sometimes I would peep at him and his friends from behind a curtain trying to make out what these great big people said to each other. If I was caught in the act I would be dragged out and, rather frightened, made to sit for a while on father’s knee.
2. I admired father tremendously. He seemed to me the embodiment of strength and courage and cleverness, far above all the other men I saw, and I treasured the hope that when I grew up I would be rather like him. But much as I admired him and loved him I feared him also. His temper was indeed an awful thing and even in after years I do not think I ever came across anything to match it in its own line. But, fortunately, he had a strong sense of humour also and an iron will, and he could as a ruler control himself. As he grew older his power of control grew, and it was very rare for him to indulge in anything like his old temper.
3. One of my earliest recollections is of this temper, for I was the victim of it. I must have been about five or six then. I noticed one day two fountain-pens on his office table and I looked at them with greed. I argued with myself that father could not require both at the same time and so I helped myself to one of them. Later I found that a mighty search was being made for the lost pen and I grew frightened at what I had done, but I did not confess. The pen was discovered and my guilt proclaimed to the world. Father was very angry and he gave me a tremendous thrashing.
4. I do not remember bearing any ill will toward my father because of this punishment. I think I must have felt that it was a just punishment, though perhaps overdone. But, though my admiration and affection for him remained as strong as ever, fear formed a part of them. Not so with my mother. I had no fear, for I knew she would condone everything I did, and because of her excessive and indiscriminating love for me, I tried to dominate over her a little. I saw much more of her than I did of father, and she seemed nearer to me, so I would confide in her when I would not dream of doing so to father. She was petite and short of stature, and soon I was almost as tall as she was and felt more of an equal with her. I admired her beauty and loved her amazingly small and beautiful hands and feet.
[Source: Adapted from Jawaharlal Nehru’s Autobiography]
Questions and Answers
(a). Jawaharlal Nehru as a child would peep at his father and his friends from behind a curtain to
(a) hear their conversation
(b) pass his leisure time
(c) enjoy their conversation
(d) look at them
Answer: (a) hear their conversation
Explanation: Para 1 says he peeped trying to make out what these great big people said to each other.
(b). Jawaharlal Nehru admired his father for his
1. courage
2. cleverness
3. fiery nature
4. strictness
5. patience
6. kindness
(a) 2 and 4
(b) 1 and 2
(c) 3 and 5
(d) 1 and 6
Answer: (b) 1 and 2
Explanation: Para 2 calls his father the embodiment of strength, courage and cleverness.
(c). The phrase ‘confide in’ means
(a) realise all of a sudden
(b) choose something
(c) tell personal things to someone
(d) criticise someone bitterly
Answer: (c) tell personal things to someone
Explanation: In para 4 he would confide in his mother, i.e. share private matters he would never tell his father.
(d). What does the author mean when he says, “my guilt proclaimed to the world”?
(a) his guilt became public
(b) his guilt remained hidden
(c) everyone talked about his mistake
(d) he admitted his guilt
Answer: (a) his guilt became public
Explanation: In para 3 the pen was discovered and his theft became known to everyone in the house.
(e). Choose the option that correctly states the two meanings of ‘resound’, as used in para 1.
1. talk loudly
2. praise immensely
3. a place filled with sound or echo
4. a place left abandoned
5. come again
(a) 1 and 5
(b) 2 and 3
(c) 4 and 5
(d) 1 and 4
Answer: (b) 2 and 3
Explanation: ‘Resound’ means to be filled with sound or echo and also to be loudly celebrated; para 1 uses it for the house ringing with laughter.
(f). The author in the second paragraph was impressed with his father because he was endowed with a
(a) strong sense of humour
(b) handsome personality
(c) brilliant communication skill
(d) generous heart
Answer: (a) strong sense of humour
Explanation: Para 2 says that, fortunately, his father had a strong sense of humour and an iron will.
(g). What made young Jawaharlal Nehru peep at his father and his friends from behind the curtains?
Answer: Jawaharlal Nehru wanted to make out what those great big people said to one another.
Explanation: Para 1 gives his curiosity about the grown-ups’ talk as the reason.
(h). What made Jawaharlal Nehru admire his father?
Answer: His father’s strength, courage and cleverness made Jawaharlal Nehru admire him.
Explanation: Para 2 describes his father as the embodiment of strength, courage and cleverness.
(i). What was one thing that J.L. Nehru as a child did not like in his father?
Answer: J.L. Nehru as a child did not like his father’s temper which he called awful.
Explanation: Para 2 says his father’s temper was indeed an awful thing.
(j). Which punishment does J.L. Nehru talk about?
Answer: J.L. Nehru talks about the punishment which his father awarded him after his theft of the fountain pen was discovered.
Explanation: Para 3 describes the tremendous thrashing he got for taking the fountain pen.
(k). How does Nehru describe his mother?
Answer: Nehru describes his mother as petite and short of stature. She was beautiful with small hands and feet.
Explanation: Para 4 describes her as petite, beautiful, with small hands and feet.
Passage 2
2. A contented man devotes himself to virtues; a man can feel true happiness. I do not mean that for simplification of life, a man should become an ascetic. The happiness of a sadhu is of a negative kind. I want positive kind of happiness. For this I must live in the midst of life and faithfully carry out my responsibilities to my home and my country. But all this should be done in the spirit of selfless service.
3. A man, who wants to lead a happy life, should also make others happy. In making others happy he will taste real and lasting happiness. There is a kind of joy in serving others with virtuous motives, in sacrificing what one has for the good of others. An act of goodness is of itself an act of happiness. The secret of perfect happiness lies in renunciation.
4. Wealth may give us joy for a while and fame may provide us with fleeting excitement. But they cannot give us permanent happiness. Kings have everything to make them happy and yet they feel unhappy. It is because they do not practise renunciation. There is a sense of joy in doing one’s work honestly and efficiently. A research-worker feels joy in research and a journalist in writing. In doing one’s duty sincerely, one feels peace of mind which is an important essence of happiness. It is only by cultivating spirit of renunciation, self-sacrifice, contentment and sincere work that one can really be happy. The strings of misfortune spare none but they will not cow such a person.
5. Happiness is like the sun, it is often hidden by the clouds of thoughts, worries and desires. We have to scatter and dissolve them to experience happiness. You don’t have to create happiness. All you have to do is calm your mind, because when there is a quiet mind and inner peace, there is happiness.
Questions and Answers
(a). We are unhappy partly because we have
(a) no inner strength
(b) lost moral and spiritual values
(c) countless, unfulfilled desires
(d) extremely complicated lives
Answer: (c) countless, unfulfilled desires
Explanation: Para 1 says we are unhappy partly because our countless desires are hard to satisfy.
(b). According to the passage, the essence of happiness lies in
(a) worldly desires
(b) doing one’s duty sincerely
(c) avoiding all unfortunate events
(d) adopting a simple life style
Answer: (b) doing one’s duty sincerely
Explanation: Para 4 says doing one’s duty sincerely gives peace of mind, which is an important essence of happiness.
(c). Choose the option that best captures the central idea of the passage from the given quotes.
(a) “Life is about creating and living experiences that are worth sharing.” — Steve Jobs
(b) “Imagination is more important than knowledge.” — Albert Einstein
(c) “Happiness is not something readymade; it comes from your own actions.” — Dalai Lama
(d) “When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.” — Paulo Coelho
Answer: (c) “Happiness is not something readymade; it comes from your own actions.” — Dalai Lama
Explanation: The passage says happiness comes from our own conduct, simple living, selfless service and sincere work, which the Dalai Lama quote states.
(d). What according to the passage is a positive kind of happiness?
(a) Keeping ones motives and feelings under control
(b) Love for life and a country
(c) Leading a simple life of an ascetic
(d) Carrying out all worldly activities in the spirit of selfless service
Answer: (d) Carrying out all worldly activities in the spirit of selfless service
Explanation: Para 2 says positive happiness means living in the midst of life and doing one’s duties in the spirit of selfless service.
(e). Which of the following statements is NOT TRUE in the context of the passage?
(a) One feels peace of mind in doing one’s duty sincerely.
(b) Renunciation is the result of perfect happiness.
(c) Multiplicity of desires make us unhappy.
(d) Making others happy makes one happy.
Answer: (b) Renunciation is the result of perfect happiness.
Explanation: Para 3 says perfect happiness lies in renunciation, i.e. renunciation leads to happiness, not the other way round.
(f). The phrase “cow a person” means to
(a) spare
(b) conquer
(c) scare
(d) provoke
Answer: (c) scare
Explanation: In para 4 misfortunes will not cow (frighten or intimidate) a person who is contented and selfless.
(g). What makes us sad in life?
Answer: We wish our countless desires to be fulfilled. Since it is not possible, we feel sad.
Explanation: Para 1 says our countless desires are hard to satisfy and that makes us sad.
(h). Why is contentment important in life?
Answer: Contentment is important in life as it gives us inner wealth, the wealth of the mind and of the soul. It brings true happiness.
Explanation: Paras 1 and 2 say contentment gives inner wealth and leads to true happiness.
(i). Why is it important to make others happy?
Answer: It is important to make others happy because only then one can taste real lasting happiness.
Explanation: Para 3 says in making others happy one tastes real and lasting happiness.
(j). What is an important essence of happiness?
Answer: One feels peace of mind when one does one’s duty sincerely. This is an important essence of happiness.
Explanation: Para 4 calls the peace of mind from sincere duty an important essence of happiness.
(k). Why is a king not happy even in the midst of wealth?
Answer: It is because he does not practise renunciation.
Explanation: Para 4 says kings feel unhappy because they do not practise renunciation.
Passage 3
2. This tough period also gave people some time to reflect on the importance of keeping themselves fit. With sufficient time in hand, people started investing their time learning new ways to exercise. Those who never exercised before, giving excuses of busy lives, too developed some new habits of Yoga, Pranayam and exercises during the lockdown period. These new habits and people’s increased focus on their health, wellness and immunity will surely change the way we lead our lives even in future.
3. The nature too healed itself during the lockdown period. Restricted human movement led to better air quality, cleaner water bodies and joyful wildlife movements. The human beings, we hope, reflected during this time, how some of their unconscious activities cause disruption in nature and worked out ways to adopt environment-friendly options for their activities in future. This situation also affected the education sector to a great extent. It has forced us to shift from offline to online mode of teaching-learning process, almost immediately without prior preparation. Is it giving us a peek into the reality ahead? Technology-enabled teaching is definitely the future we are looking towards, but it is important to identify key challenges for students and teachers in the current scenario. Once identified, academic leadership and the government can address these through innovations in the focused areas to minimise the effect of pandemic on the education of the students.
4. The current scenario has also affected our economies to the extent wherein many businessmen had to bear heavy losses in their businesses. The governments and individuals need to take actions to mitigate risk and minimize transmission while maintaining social and economic activities. However, relaxed control measures, declining risk perception and the understandable desire to return to normalcy have led to reduced protective behaviours and more social and workplace interactions, often in confined, close-contact settings, where the virus spreads really fast.
5. It is our responsibility that we take all necessary precautions through mask-wearing, physical distancing, hand hygiene as part of daily life. It is highly important to make these new behaviours part of our everyday habits. Travelling to new places, casual café visits with a large bunch of friends, spending our weekends in shopping, window-shopping and casual strolls, large gatherings in birthday parties and other celebrations; will require some modifications and patience to fit into “New Normal” keeping all the safety norms in mind.
Questions and Answers
(a). The outbreak of COVID-19 is called a pandemic because:
(a) it has spread across the globe.
(b) it has spread across India
(c) it is invisible to naked eye
(d) it has disrupted many institutional settings
Answer: (a) it has spread across the globe.
Explanation: Para 1 calls it a global pandemic that has disrupted lives worldwide; a pandemic is a disease spread across the globe.
(b). According to the passage the lockdown period made people introspect on gender roles and stereotypes because:
(a) Women started handling all the household responsibilities alone
(b) Men started handling all the household responsibilities alone
(c) People talked about gender stereotypes during lockdown period
(d) Men started sharing responsibilities related to household chores
Answer: (d) Men started sharing responsibilities related to household chores
Explanation: Para 1 says men shared household chores during the lockdown, which raised hope of a lasting change.
(c). Choose the option that is NOT TRUE.
People, who never exercised before, started exercising during the lockdown period because:
(a) they had sufficient time in hand
(b) exercise was the only way to treat people from the novel corona virus.
(c) people learnt new ways to exercise their body.
(d) people understood the importance of health and wellness in the face of the pandemic
Answer: (b) exercise was the only way to treat people from the novel corona virus.
Explanation: Para 2 links exercise to free time and focus on health; it never calls exercise the only treatment for the virus.
(d). A positive change was seen in nature during lockdown period in terms of cleaner air and water bodies because:
(a) there was less human movement due to lockdown
(b) the virus helped in cleaning air and water
(c) the government made extra efforts to clean air and water
(d) People got together to clean water bodies.
Answer: (a) there was less human movement due to lockdown
Explanation: Para 3 says restricted human movement led to better air quality and cleaner water bodies.
(e). How did schools continue educating students during the pandemic?
(a) Through offline mode of teaching
(b) Through online mode of teaching
(c) By calling students to school on weekly basis
(d) Students were asked to study at home themselves.
Answer: (b) Through online mode of teaching
Explanation: Para 3 says the education sector shifted from offline to online mode of teaching.
(f). Which of the following has NOT led to reduced protective behaviours amongst people?
(a) relaxed control measures
(b) declining risk perception
(c) physical distancing
(d) understandable desire to return to normalcy
Answer: (c) physical distancing
Explanation: Para 4 lists the other three as causes; physical distancing is itself a protective behaviour (para 5).
(g). How did the lockdown period bridge the gap of gender inequality?
Answer: Men shared household responsibilities with women during the lockdown period.
Explanation: Para 1 says men shared household chores during the lockdown.
(h). How was the lockdown period good for the environment?
Answer: Human movement got restricted, as a result of which there were very few vehicles on roads. This proved beneficial for the environment.
Explanation: Para 3 links restricted human movement to better air, cleaner water and wildlife movement.
(i). How did the pandemic affect economies of the countries?
Answer: Many businesses got paralysed which badly affected economies of the countries.
Explanation: Para 4 says many businessmen had to bear heavy losses.
(j). What are the necessary precautions that we must take for protecting ourselves from corona virus?
Answer: Mask wearing, physical distancing, hand hygiene are some necessary precautions that we must take for being safe from corona virus.
Explanation: Para 5 lists mask-wearing, physical distancing and hand hygiene.
(k). What activities should we avoid during this pandemic?
Answer: We should avoid travelling to new places, casual cafe visits with a large group of friends, large gatherings in birthday parties, other celebrations, and other similar activities.
Explanation: Para 5 lists these activities as needing modification in the ‘New Normal’.
Passage 4
2. My father used to get transferred every year. The family belongings fit into the back of a jeep, so the family moved from place to place; without any trouble, my mother would set up an establishment and get us going. Raised by a widow who had come as refugee from the then East Bengal, she was matriculate when she married my father. My parents set the foundation of my life and the value system which makes me what I am today and largely defines what success means to me.
3. My father had been given a jeep by the government. There was no garage in the office, so the jeep was parked in our house. My father refused to use it to commute to the office. He told us that the jeep was an expensive resource given by the government; it was not ‘his jeep’ but the government’s. Insisting that he would use it only to tour the interiors, he would walk to his office on normal days. He also made sure that we sat in the jeep only when it was stationary. That was our early childhood lesson in governance, a lesson that corporate managers learn the hard way. Indeed, some never do.
4. The jeep’s driver was treated with respect like any other member of my father’s office. As small children, we were taught not to call him by his name. We had to use the suffix ‘dada’ whenever we were to refer to him in public or in private. When I grew up to own a car, a driver by the name of Raju was appointed. I repeated the lesson to my two small daughters. They have, as a result, grown up to call Raju, ‘Raju Uncle’—very different from many of their friends who refer to their family drivers as ‘my driver’. When I hear that term from a school or college-going person, I cringe. To me, the lesson was significant: You treat small people with more respect than big people. It is more important to respect your subordinates than your superiors.
Questions and Answers
(a). The narrator did not go to school until the age of eight because:
(a) there was no electricity in his village.
(b) there was no primary school nearby his home.
(c) water did not flow out of a tap.
(d) All of these
Answer: (d) All of these
Explanation: Para 1 lists all three hardships of the remote place and then says ‘As a result, I did not go to school until the age of eight’.
(b). The narrator’s family moved from place to place every year because:
(a) they did not get as good school as he desired.
(b) they did not get as good home as he desired.
(c) of lack of drinking water.
(d) his father used to get transferred every year.
Answer: (d) his father used to get transferred every year.
Explanation: Para 2 begins by saying his father used to get transferred every year.
(c). The narrator’s father parked the jeep of his office in his own house as:
(a) he had too much spare space in his house.
(b) it was the order of his senior.
(c) he needed that car even in his house.
(d) there was no garage in the office.
Answer: (d) there was no garage in the office.
Explanation: Para 3 says there was no garage in the office, so the jeep was parked at their house.
(d). According to the narrator’s father, the jeep given by the government was:
(a) a luxurious resource.
(b) a cheap resource.
(c) a cause for dullness
(d) an expensive resource.
Answer: (d) an expensive resource.
Explanation: Para 3 quotes the father calling the jeep an expensive resource given by the government.
(e). ‘As small children, we were taught not to call him by his name.’ Here ‘his name’ refers to:
(a) the narrator’s name.
(b) the narrator’s father’s name.
(c) the narrator’s teacher’s name.
(d) the driver of the narrator’s father.
Answer: (d) the driver of the narrator’s father.
Explanation: Para 4 is about the jeep’s driver, whom the children had to address with the suffix ‘dada’.
(f). Choose the option that is the most appropriate title for the passage.
(a) The Corporate Sector
(b) The Life of a Government Employee
(c) The Hurdles in the Life of a Government Employee
(d) The Life of a Servant
Answer: (b) The Life of a Government Employee
Explanation: The passage recalls the life and values of the narrator’s father, a government officer, and the lessons drawn from it.
(g). Why was the narrator home-schooled upto the age of eight?
Answer: He lived in a remote place in Koraput where there was no primary school nearby (nor electricity or tap water), so he was home-schooled till the age of eight.
Explanation: Para 1 describes the remote posting with no school nearby.
(h). Why did the narrator’s father refuse to commute to the office by the jeep?
Answer: He believed the jeep was an expensive resource given by the government; it was not his own jeep, so he would not use it for personal commuting.
Explanation: Para 3 gives the father’s reason that the jeep belonged to the government.
(i). When did he use the jeep?
Answer: He used the jeep only to tour the interiors, i.e. for official tours.
Explanation: Para 3 says he insisted on using it only to tour the interiors.
(j). What was the narrator’s childhood lesson in governance?
Answer: Government property is not for personal use; public resources must be used only for official purposes.
Explanation: Para 3 calls the father’s refusal to use the jeep for himself their early lesson in governance.
(k). How was the jeep driver treated in the narrator’s family?
Answer: He was treated with respect like any other member of the father’s office; the children called him with the suffix ‘dada’, not by his name.
Explanation: Para 4 describes the respectful treatment of the driver.